Not a Good Week….

A truck driver in China’s Sichuan Province is a strong contender for the distinction of being China’s unluckiest person this year. On May 23 the body of 47-year-old Hu Gonggui was found lying next to his truck, which was parked in the verge of a highway in southwest China. After examining the circumstances surrounding Mr. Hu’s death, police concluded that he had stopped to examine the tyres on his truck – laden with at least 55 tons of coal, more than four times the recommended limit – when a tyre exploded in his face, causing serious head injuries.

And while being killed by a tyre exploding at the very moment you choose to stand in front of it seems unlucky enough, Mr. Hu’s misfortune continued even after his demise. On May 26 his family was informed that Mr. Hu’s body was mistaken by the funeral home for that of another road accident victim, and wrongly cremated. The son of Qi Chaogang, the man mistaken for Hu, doubted the appearance of his father’s body, but was informed by an employee of the funeral home that it was normal for the appearance of a body to differ a little after experiencing a severe vehicle accident, so the cremation proceeded as planned.

Mr. Hu’s family received 20,000 yuan (£1,300) in compensation from the funeral home.